[OP: ]
In the great academy, there were various things hidden away from the students and even from teachers sometimes.
There were objects in the academy that were scattered across the campus, in the hidden hallways that were covered behind the illusions even more powerful than what the headmaster could cast.
Some of the mysteries of the academy were uncovered by the students every few hundred years before they get lost with the flow of time and the students have to find out about them once again.
-Ooooooooooooong!
In every batch, there is at least one curious individual that devotes their entire time finding these hidden pieces that either helps them immensely during their academic life, or becomes a boon that helps them step above the rest of their batchmates.
There certainly are cases where they face difficulties and troubles that they couldn't deal with themselves, but their lives are protected by the ancient oak that maintains every corner of this entire academy island, so they at least don't have to worry about the worst.
Still, to chase after a mystery in this academy is no simple task.
There are various things that one has to look after, there are various dangers that the students do not even know about.
There sure are challenges present all over the academy but that is for the growth of the students.
The rewards given are always equivalent to the hardships that one has gone though, the things that they experienced and the heights that they reached through the help of the trials.
It was a rule that had been in place ever since the academy was founded thousands of years ago.
There were various unique things in the academy garden, like the blue honeybee nest and the hidden houses of the creature that were too rare for the outside world, houses that the not even They had been able to find yet.
But they were there, and the students knew about them... and just like those known things, there was a certain thing about the academy that a rare few students who had read deeply about their houses, and the history of these houses from the older records of the great academy knew well about.
"A guardian flute..."
"That... bastard."
"How the hell did he... where the hell did he even find that?!"
"Since when does he even have it?!"
The academy originally had four houses and the four later ones were added by the various individuals who passed all the hidden retirements to establish the new houses.
The newest house that was established before the headmaster became the headmaster of this academy, his own house, was the youngest of the houses present in the academy.
However, even this youngest house, when it was founded by the headmaster, had gained a certain unique status in this academy and along with it, they also received a special feature that only the houses of the academy possessed.
"Even the headmaster wasn't able to find it back in his days..."
"The last time someone found it was a hundred and fifty years ago and it was also the captain of the True dragons."
"That bastard... hump."
A guardian flute.
One of the unique objects that belonged to the houses of the academy.
"Our ride is here as well, everyone."
There were a total of eight of them for the eight houses of the academy. At least, that was what was known to the individuals that knew about the history of these flutes.
But, they were scattered all over not this academy, but over this entire island.
And, it was said that not only finding these objects was as difficult as a divine trial, when one found it, they would have to prove their worthiness for these objects by passing various trials as well.
"SKYaaaaaaaaa!"
But, those who manage to obtain these things, ultimately gain an absolute upper hand over the rest of the houses.
"I'll find one soon as well, just you wait and see, darling~."
She knew she was better than the others, talented as well.
But, after she came to this academy, and met all these people flying alongside her right now... she realised she wasn't that special.
Especially when she looked at the person leading them... the one sitting atop that flying volume of fire.
She couldn't help but be envious of him... she didn't like him sometimes for how much better he was than her, but she knew he was not perfect either.
And that fact made her even more envious of that bastard.
"Tia, you know what?"
Read more tales on NovelFire-l-em,py-r
After taking off, they had seen many things on their way.
The flying route they were taking was pretty simple and fell under the academy's ownership so it was available only to the people affiliated with the academy.
They had to take permission from the appropriate authorities to use these flight routes but, since the very president and vice president of the student council were accompanying them, they didn't need to worry about the small things.
"Hmmm?"
The competitive spirit among the other houses and the house captains was always strong thanks to Tia, and since there was someone standing in their way... they also had a goal to chase after.
"When he first told me about the Guardian flutes, as well as about three Key house relics, I thought he was joking and that things like that wouldn't really be something us students can have.
But then he took me to the place where the flute was kept, and as he was fighting the test guardian, he showed me just how difficult it actually was to get those things."
He was taking them to a special place.
"It was one of the few rare times I had ever seen him suffer like that... he was bleeding, he was exhausted, he had practically used all tricks up his sleeve to defeat that guardian, tricks that you all haven't even seen."
They were flying.
"I meant it when I said he earned it. And I mean it when I say we would help you all if we could as well, but, at the end, it will still be up to us to get these special items. To get those relics and defeat that bastard in this important game of his."
All of them possessed some qualities that made them different from the rest of the students of the academy. Qualities that made them All special... as well as unique from one another.
"He's doing it because he wants to win. And as his future wife as well as his dearest friend, I'm not going to let that happen."
Even if he might be ahead of them all, even if he might have advantages over all of them that placed him far ahead of them all... he was not perfect. Nor was he a genius like these friends of his.
"Everyone here perhaps has their own reasons to want to win, to keep their houses on the top... and I'm sure you do as well."
In the academy, a house captain was nothing without the rest of his house. That's why one of the primary criteria upon which the ancient oak tree chose the captains, was their potential to grow their subordinates.
"Forget the useless things and just focus on what you have to do.
I'm pretty sure that if you're sincere enough... you might just have as much chance to defeat that bastard as any of us."
She gave her a smile, and stroked the feathers of her dear little crow.
"We'll be there soon now, I think." And looked on the horizon.
They had reached the barren outskirts of the sky island.
The unique flower fields were visible to a few of them some distance away.
Somewhere around here, there existed a hidden paradise that none of them knew about.
And...
"Don't fall behind."
They were going to receive a greater surprise than they had expected pretty soon.